Heddle frame center strut

ABSTRACT

A center strut assembly comprises a strut having at each end a recess and a longitudinal duct open into said recess, and two rod-shaped locking members, each of which is slidably mounted in one of said ducts and movable to a locking position, in which said locking member protrudes into the associated recess. Each of said locking members has opposite to the associated recess a resilient angled end portion. The strut is formed with two holes, each of which opens into one of said ducts, which is laterally open at said hole. Each of said angled end portions is arranged to resiliently engage one of said holes when said locking member is in said locking position.

United States Patent 1 Filter HEDDLE FRAME CENTER STRUT [75] Inventor:Walther Filter, Langenhagen,

.Germany [73] Assignees: Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisen-UndStahlwerke-Alpine Montan Aktiengesellschaft, Vienna, Austria;Etablissement Wanderfield & Co., Schaan, Liechtenstein [22] Filed: July30, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 383,809

[ Sept. 24, 1974 3,370,616 2/1968 Pfarrwaller 139/92 PrimaryExaminerHenry S. Jaudon Attorney, Agent, or Firml(arl Kelman [57]ABSTRACT A center strut assembly comprises a strut having at each end arecess and a longitudinal duct open into said recess, and two rod-shapedlocking members, each of which is slidably mounted in one of said ductsand movable to a locking position, in which said locking memberprotrudes into the associated recess. Each of said locking members hasopposite to the associated recess a resilient angled end portion. Thestrut is formedwith two holes, each of which opens into one of saidducts, which is laterally open at said hole. Each of said angled endportions is arranged to resiliently engage one of said holes when saidlocking member is in said locking position.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 HEDDLE FRAME CENTER STRUT This inventionrelates to a center strut for a heddle frame which comprises upper andlower shafts and heddle-carrying frames secured to said shafts, whichcenter strut has at each end a recess for receiving the heddlecarryingrail, which is adapted to be locked in the recess of the center strut bya locking member, which is slidable along the center strut and in itslocking position overlaps the heddle-carrying rail.

In a known central stiffener (Austrian Patent Specification 258,821 apivoted locking member is provided for each recess and entirely overlapsthe heddlecarrying rail disposed in the recess. To enable a fixation ofthe pivoted locking members in their locking position, a screw on whichthe locking member is pivoted must be tightened to clamp the lockingmember in position. This results in a relatively complicated compositestructure and in the further disadvantage that a tool is required tolock and unlock the member, and this oper ation requires a largeexpenditure of time and labor. Whereas center struts are known whichhave retaining parts that can be elastically deformed and which can beinserted without need for a tool, these center struts lack the desiredstability which is desired to relieve the shafts and heddle-carryingrails, and the retaining parts may become permanently deformed so thatthe center struts may become loose during the operation of the weavingmachine.

Another known center strut for a heddle frame (Austrian PatentSpecification 29,014) comprises at each end a recess for receiving theheddle-carrying rail, which can be locked in the recess of the centerstrut by a sleeve, which is slidable on the center strut and in itslocking position overlaps the heddle-carrying frame. Thus, theheddle-carrying rail can be unlocked in that the sleeve is simplyshifted so that the center strut can be removed. That known design hasthe disadvantage,

however, that the sleeve itself cannot be locked so that the sleeve mayleave its locking position during the movement of the heddle frame andthe locking of the heddle-carrying rail is not ensured. Besides, thesleeve surrounds the center strut so that the space requirement is muchincreased. It is desired to minimize the has an angled end portionremote from the recess, and in the locking position of the lockingmember the angled end portion resiliently snaps into a hole in thebottom of the longitudinal duct, which is open in this region. Thismeasure involves only a small space requirement and ensures a reliablelocking of the heddlecarrying rail in the recess of the center struts insuch a manner that not only the heddle-carrying rail but also theslidable locking member is locked. The center strut can be inserted andremoved quickly and in a simple manner and the structure is stable andconsists of a minimum number of parts. It will be recommended to providethe center struts at those portions where, e.g., the heddle framelinkage acts on the heddle frame from below because in this case theforce need not be transmitted to the center struts by the shafts. In theresulting interference of the center strut with the distribution of theheddles. If the size of the center strut is increased by a sleeve fittedthereon, this necessarily affects the distance to the heddles which areadjacent to the center strut. Besides, the center strut cannot be fixedin position on the heddle-carrying rail; this is a further disadvantage.Whereas center struts are known (U.S. Patent Specification 3,214,575)which have recesses for the heddle-carrying rails and these recessescontain pins which protrude into openings in the heddle-carrying rails,the openings consist of slots to enable a displacement of theheddle-carrying rails.

It is an object of the invention to avoid these disadvantages and toprovide a center strut which can be assembled and removed quickly and ina simple manner without need for a tool and which ensures a reliablepositioning of the heddle-carrying rail whereas its space requirement isminimized and the center strut can be fixed in position on theheddle-carrying rails.

In a center strut of the kind defined first hereinbefore, this object isaccomplished according to the invention in that the slidable rod-shapedlocking member is mounted in a longitudinal duct of the center strut andstructure the slidable locking member is fixed in its locking positionand nevertheless can easily be gripped and operated.

To prevent a lateral shifting of the center strut on the heddle-carryingrails, i.e., to fix the center strut in position in the heddle-frame, itis a feature of the invention to provide in each recess in known mannera pin, which is in backlashfree engagement with an associated bore inthe heddle-carrying rail.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example on theaccompanying drawing, in which FIGS. 1 and 2 are, respectively, atransverse sectional view and an elevation showing part of a heddleframe, and 1 FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, a side elevation and endelevation showing the lower portion of a center strut together with aheddle-carrying rail.

The heddle frame comprises an upper shaft 1 and a lower shaft 2, whichare connected by side struts 3 to form a frame. l-Ieddle-carrying rails4, 5 are riveted to the shafts l, 2. Center struts 6 are secured to theheddle-carrying rails, on which the heddles, not shown, are aligned,which control the warp threads.

Each center strut is formed at each end with a recess 7, which receivesthe corresponding carrying rail 4 or 5. Associated with each recess 7 isa slidable locking member 9, which is mounted in a longitudinal duct 8and which in its locking position, shown on the drawing, overlaps theedge of the heddle-carrying rail 4 or 5. Remote from the recess 7, theslidable locking member 9 has an angled end portion 10. When the lockingmember is in its locking position said end portion is engaged with ahole 11 at the bottom of the longitudinal duct 8, which is open in thisregion. A centering pin 12 is provided in each recess and engages anassociated bore in the heddle-carrying rail.

It is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the center strut 6 is provided atthe very location at which the linkage for operating the heddle frameacts on the latter from below sothat a desirable transmission of forceresults.

What is claimed is:

1. In a heddle frame, a center strut assembly comprising a strut havingat each end a recess and a longitudinal duct having a base portion andopening into said recess, and

two rod-shaped locking members, each of which is slidably mounted in oneof said ducts and movable to a locking position in which said lockingmember protrudes into the associated recess,

each of said locking members having opposite to the associated recess aresilient angled end portion,

said strut being formed with two holes, each of which opens into thebase portion of a respective one of said ducts, which is laterally openat said hole, and

each of said angled end portions being arranged to engage a respectiveone of said holes when said angled end portion is in resilientengagement with the base portion of the duct and said locking member isin said locking position.

2. A center strut assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said strutcarries two pins, each of which protrudes into one of said recesses.

3. A heddle frame, which comprises upper and lower shafts,

two heddle-carrying rails, each of which is secured to one of saidshafts, and

a center strut assembly which comprises a strut having at each end arecess for receiving one of said rails and a longitudinal duct having abase portion and opening into said recess, and

two rod-shaped locking members, each of which is slidably mounted in oneof said ducts and protrudes into said recess and overlaps said rail,

each of said locking members having opposite to the associated recess aresilient angled end portion,

said strut being formed with two holes, each of which opens into thebase portion of a respective one of said ducts, which is laterally openadjacent to said hole, and

each of said angled end portions being in engagement with a respectiveone of said holes when said angled end portion is in resilientengagement with the base portion of the duct.

4. A heddle frame as set forth in claim 3, in which each of said railsis formed at the center with a bore facing the associated recess in saidstrut and said strut carries two pins, each of which protrudes into oneof said recesses and is in backlash-free engagement with one of saidbores.

' I It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patentUNITED STATES FATE 1 CERTIFICATE I i i Patent No. 3,837,365

Invent Wa'H'hQr F'i'H-e-r and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

In the heading, between coded lines [217 and 5?, insert::-

[5 97 Forein Alication Priot Da Aug. 8, 1972 Austria .MM ohm 0 0M. A6850/72 Signed and sealed this 11th day of February 1975.

(SEAL) Attest: C. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of PatentsAttesting Officer and Trademarks USCOMM-DC 80876-P09 w: u.s eovsnumzm'PRINTING OFFICE: 1ND o-aes-J,

FORM PO-1050(10-69)

1. In a heddle frame, a center strut assembly comprising a strut having at each end a recess and a longitudinal duct having a base portion and opening into said recess, and two rod-shaped locking members, each of which is slidably mounted in one of said ducts and movable to a locking position in which said locking member protrudes iNto the associated recess, each of said locking members having opposite to the associated recess a resilient angled end portion, said strut being formed with two holes, each of which opens into the base portion of a respective one of said ducts, which is laterally open at said hole, and each of said angled end portions being arranged to engage a respective one of said holes when said angled end portion is in resilient engagement with the base portion of the duct and said locking member is in said locking position.
 2. A center strut assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said strut carries two pins, each of which protrudes into one of said recesses.
 3. A heddle frame, which comprises upper and lower shafts, two heddle-carrying rails, each of which is secured to one of said shafts, and a center strut assembly which comprises a strut having at each end a recess for receiving one of said rails and a longitudinal duct having a base portion and opening into said recess, and two rod-shaped locking members, each of which is slidably mounted in one of said ducts and protrudes into said recess and overlaps said rail, each of said locking members having opposite to the associated recess a resilient angled end portion, said strut being formed with two holes, each of which opens into the base portion of a respective one of said ducts, which is laterally open adjacent to said hole, and each of said angled end portions being in engagement with a respective one of said holes when said angled end portion is in resilient engagement with the base portion of the duct.
 4. A heddle frame as set forth in claim 3, in which each of said rails is formed at the center with a bore facing the associated recess in said strut and said strut carries two pins, each of which protrudes into one of said recesses and is in backlash-free engagement with one of said bores. 